MARIE CLAUDINE DUPONT

PROF. ALAM

PROFESSIONAL ESSAY

03-07-2013

From genesis until now it has always been a beginning, a start in everyone’s life. I was born in a Catholic family in Haiti. I have two elder sisters and a little sister. I was lucky to be able to go a private catholic school in primary and high school. After my graduation, I went in a private college: Institute of Higher Studies & Economics to pursue my education. In January 2005, I became a resident of the United States, and since then I am living in Queens Village New York. In addition, I started to go to LaGuardia Community College for some ESL classes then Liberal Arts. Then I transferred to New York City College of Technology where I am pursuing a degree in Humans Services. In the lines below, I will explain why I decided to become a Human Services worker; my personal and professional strengths; what client population I would like to work with; and how I envision my career path ten years from my graduation.

For every career choice that someone makes there is a reason behind it. I personally choose to become a Human Services worker because not only I like to help others to overcome obstacles, but also to help improving the lives of those who are needy. As a Human Services worker, I will be able to address social needs of members of the community as a whole. Our society is facing a lot of challenging, and by being a Human Services worker I would like to be able to prevent and solve these problems which could improve the quality of life of the community.  Human Services worker are facing a lot of challenges in their jobs, but that did not stop them to do the best they can to assist people in the community. This commitment to helping people in their community has impressed and influenced me a lot. That is one of the reason I choose this career path, and I am not afraid of challenges, and I believe that they make me stronger. Therefore, having to deal with a variety of clients with different problems, and background is not a problem for me. As long as I help the clients to become independent, and to have a productive live, I will be happy because I will have a productive job. Indeed, these are the reasons why I choose to become a Human Services worker.

In order for people to succeed in their career, they need to bring personal strengths at the table. Since I was a little girl I have always been a good listener, and people always trust me with their problems and their secrets. I am a very patient, and   responsible person, and I take my job seriously. I also know the importance of confidentiality, and I am proud to say that I never betrayed anyone who confided in me, and will do whatever it takes to keep it that way. I am also a problem solver and my friends and family remind me that whenever they call me for advice. These are some of the personal strengths that enhance my effectiveness for professional practice.

In addition, professional strengths are others things that people can bring in their career that will enhance their effectiveness for professional practice. Since I came to live in the United States, I have been working with disabled people. In my first job I used to pick up disabled toddlers from their home to the school program. As a matron, I was supposed to make sure they are safe and secure while they were riding the school bus. I liked it because I always love to help and take care of children. Then I worked as a Direct Care Aid with adults who are mentally ill at their facility. This job opens my eyes upon a lot of things. I have learned something new every day, and I had to overcome any challenges which help me to grow as a human being. At the same time, I was working as a Nursing Assistant where I used to take care of elderly people. These past eight years, I have been working with the public, with people in needs and I loved it. These jobs gives the strengths that I need to choose a career as Human Services worker, and I believe that will enhance my effectiveness for professional practice.

As a Human Services worker I would like to work with the children population. I would like to be able to assist children that are been abused, and need help to have a smooth transition into a foster home; teenage girls who are pregnant, or those who are running away from their home or skipping school. This client population has a lot of challenges to overcome, and it is really painful for parents, children and even the counselor to deal with it. For instance a child that has been abused by his parents must be really afraid to talk about it. Just to overcome the situation the child puts on a smiley face and come to school, and that requires a lot of strengths from the child. That would be a privilege for me to assist any children in that position.

In order for me to be ready to professionally serve this population, I need to learn a few skills. Since I like to do my job properly and with efficacy I will need to expand my knowledge on using the computer to enter data. I will also need to improve my speaking skills because I have a huge accent, so for fall I am planning on taking an English class that would help me with my pronunciation. In addition, time management and critical thinking are other skills that I would need to work on, so I can handle any heavy case load. Furthermore, I would like to work with this client population because back home in Haiti, children do not have any rights. Children have been abused, neglected by their parents or family members for years, and they cannot even go to the police. In school professors do not really pay attention to that or choose to ignore the signs. So I am glad that here in the USA children are protected by laws. I believe that children deserve to grow in an environment where they can feel safe and secure. They also need a family who will protect them from any harm. That is why I would like to serve this population, and make sure that every child on my watch get the help they reallyneed.

Moreover, the Human Services need for this population is to have more available workers so children can get better help. By doing so workers will be able to concentrate more on their cases, and provide adequate help and assistance to those in need. Furthermore, human services skills that I have begun to develop are the following: social perceptiveness which means that I am more aware of my surroundings, people’s reactions, and why they act a certain way. I also like to look for ways to help others in my daily life. In addition, I am a good negotiator and I have great results by bring people together and try to reconcile. These skills will allow me to use appropriate tools to assist this population.

Everyone needs to plan ahead about their future and I am not an exception to the book. From the time of graduation to ten years I do envision to have my bachelor degree in child welfare and my master in Human Services. I am planning to provide the best help I can offer to these children and furthering my education will be beneficial. I would like to work for an agency that values my work so I can make a difference in children lives.

In conclusion, these lines above give an idea on my autobiography and my future plans. My past jobs and my background have influenced me and that is why I pursue my study in Human Services. Right now I am working towards my goals and hope that will be rewarding in the future for me and the population that I will serve.